Charles' world was pain. His mind knew nothing but. After Twilight had brought him back, it was suggested that he was sick, that the crystal was something that needed to be cured. And tried to cure it she did.

"I can help," she muttered to herself as she casted healing spell after healing spell on the creature. Muttering the same phrase over and over as nothing seemed to work. The creature trying to escape from its cage.

"Please!" Charles tried to scream. But his now half crystallized body wouldn't let him. The flesh not willing to work as it tried to combat the crystal. But to no avail. The half of him that was still normal, still human, felt as if it was set ablaze. The horses magic, as she called it, seemed only to fan the flames. Hitting his limbs against the enchanted cage as his body tried to free itself from the torment. The magic feeding the crystal, quickening the pace at which his body seemed to reject itself. Tears blurring his normal eye, as pain blinded the other.

"Just let me help," she cried, watching the creature struggle. Her hair turning into a mess before him.

"Twilight? Is everything fine down there?" The country pony called from atop the set of stairs. Only to begin walking down a moment later, joined by the others. White, yellow, pink, and blue.

"Stop it! Please!" Charles tried to cry, but his body wouldn't let him. His teeth clenched as wave after wave of fire washed over his body. Trying to scream, he ended up gurgling as spit and vomit bubbled through, foaming just outside of his mouth.

AAAAAGH! His mind screamed. His vision focusing in on the ponies before him, their mouths moving but nothing was heard as his heart pounded in his head. They seemed worried. Scared even. Looking to Twilight, he had noticed she stopped casting her spells. Her horn not glowing anymore.

His body slumped over as everything went numb. All of the pain? Gone. The noise? Gone. Shakily, he raised his left arm up and looked at it. It was crystal, just like the rest. Seeing his reflection in his arm, he wanted to cry. Where his face had been was now a blank slate of crystal. The only indication that it was even a face was two small craters that marked his eyes.

Staring for what seemed like an hour, his attention was finally torn away as a flash of purple came from his right. Looking to Twilight with her horn charged. A flash of fear ran through his mind. Afraid of the magic.

"NO MORE!" He screamed out, making the ponies flinch. His voice sounding as if it was echoing from within him. "NO MORE MAGIC!"

Magic is what turned me into this... thing. He thought. Rising to his feet and thrusting his body against the cage. "YOU DID THIS!" He cried. This was no way to live. A monster among monsters. He just wanted everything to go back the way it was. To go back to his bar, serving the same people day in, day out. To hear about how his adopted children were doing. Anything was better than this. Even death.

Pushing his arm through the gap in the cage, he reached out for the purple one named Twilight. His hand twitching as he tried to grasp even a lock of hair. The ponies flinched, stumbling backwards slightly. "COME HERE AND LET ME TEAR YOU APART!" Charles screamed, his thoughts lost to even himself as his mind was numbed. The only thing he felt was the need for revenge. To bring pain to the ones that hurt him.

"AAAGH!" He screamed in rage, his arm flailing just outside of the cage. Reduced to an animal as common sense was locked away. His rational mind hidden deep within him as the need to survive blanketed his thoughts. And these ponies, they were a threat to his survival. They brought nothing but pain. Even if he had saved one of their own.

Twilight looked to Fluttershy, tears in her eyes. "Can't you get it to calm down? Can't you use the stare?"

Fluttershy was shivering with fear, tears in her eyes as she stared at the thing in the cage, yes it had saved her, but the way it acted now, she didn't want to think of what would have happened if it awoke first. And here it was, wanting to hurt her friends. She needed to help it, but it needed to calm down.

Opening her eyes, she furrowed her brows and walked to the creature. Just out of arms reach she used the stare. The creature stopped. Arm outstretched, but still.

(Fourteen years ago, Three years after coming to America)

With a rag in hand. Charles shined the bar top. Glasses and bottles of alcohol lined up on shelves behind him. A content smile on his face as he looked at his reflection on the mirror like surface. Amber eyes, and auburn hair. A pale face with hints of a morning shadow still remaining. A beam of light hitting him from the left. Some of the only light that made it into the room through the thick curtains that darkened said room.

"Charles?" A young voice called from the other side of the counter counter. Looking up he saw who it was. A child only twelve years younger than him, light-dark skin with blue eyes staring at him. Half of his body hidden behind a corner in the hallway that led to the door to outside. Stairs directly behind him.

"Yeah?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why do you sell alcohol?" The child asked, his hands in the pocket of his cargo shorts. And his face filled with confusion.

Charles shrugged. "Mostly just a hobby. Don't really need a job, I just want to meet new people."

"Then why don't you go places like everybody else?"

Charles smiled. "Who's gonna take care of you and your sister while I'm away then?"

"I can take care of us!" he huffed indignantly.

Charles chuckled. "Of course you can, I know that. But, I gotta stay with you guys, if I don't, the people are just gonna take you back."

"Oh," he looked down the wooden floor and tapped the tip of his shoe to it.

Looking to the clock, Charles' eyes widened. "Hey, don't you have somewhere to be? A little place called school?"

Sticking his tongue out. The child replied. "I don't wanna go, all of the teachers hate me, and the other kids are afraid of me."

"Well, why don't you show them that they don't have to be afraid? Prove 'em wrong," Charles clenched his fist, striking a pose.

He laughed at this. Only to nod his head slowly with a smile afterwards. "Fine, but I'm not going to like it," the child turned around and walked up the stairs that were behind him. Rustling could be heard from above before he came back down. Running to his right and giving a call back. "Bye Charles, me and Marcy will be back after school!" The door opened and slammed a moment later, shaking the glasses behind Charles slightly.

Chuckling, Charles quietly called back, resuming his shining as he did so. "Have a nice day in school, Dominic." A small smile spreading across his face as he hummed a tune. Content to just shine for the moment.

Author's Note

The next chapter will be with Dominic and the rest. Just had to write this. Couldn't. Stop. thinking.